[KS] List of Founders of Temples

[David Mason]

Dear Richard McBride,

> Although I do not know of any list of the founders of
> the major monasteries, there is a source that in most
> cases will give the names that you are looking for.
> Please look in:
> Yi Chŏng —›­, ed.  Hanfguk Pulgyo sachfal
sajŏn 
> ŠØš ˜ÅúÍŽ›™‹Ž–“T (Dictionary of Korean Buddhist
> monasteries).  Seoul:  Pulgyo Sidaesa, 1996.

Thank you very much for your suggestion.  Indeed, i 
have had that same Dictionary since just after it was
published, and it has been my faithful companion thru
many research-related inquiries.  Its coverage is broad,
its details are deep and its mistakes are few;  it is
highly recommended to all.

And of course many of the temples their own websites
these days, which include what they claim to be their 
history;  and there are government installed historic 
signs at most of the traditional temples that tell 
what the official or standard view of that temples' 
history is -- all very useful.

I was just hoping that somebody had already compiled a
summary listing of the claimed founders of the ancient 
temples, a kind of database that could be manipulated 
and edited for various purposes;  and maybe even posted
it on-line for all of us, so that I would not have to 
spend many days going through that Dictionary page-by-
page and compiling that list with my own hands.

Seems a bit strange to me if no one has done this yet,
but I guess that's the way it often is in Korean Studies
-- so much important stuff remains to be done.

Ah well -- if no such listing has yet been made, at 
least in any public-accessible way, then I will do 
what I must.  Such are our burdens...   :-)

Sultry Summer Regards,
David Mason


David A. Mason  
Professor of Korean Tourism, KyungHee University
Office #710, College of Hotel and Tourism Management
http://www.san-shin.org
Phone: 02-961-0852    Mobile: 011-9743-9753